Fun is Not a Dirty Word!
Dr. Ebony Davenport
Owner at BE! Social Solutions specializing in Employee Retention Solutions | I help increase profits by teaching practices that eliminate daily stress | Stress & Burnout Expert | Health & Wellness Coach
The enemy of working hard is stress. Stress is the sense of having little or no control. Unmet demands and expectations ultimately lead to a feeling of little or no control. Although you can’t control the situation, aka “stress,” you can manage your reaction.
Numerous studies show that the primary source of stress, job stress is (66%), and it has escalated progressively over the past few decades. Job stress is associated with health-related illnesses and diseases that affect engagement, productivity, and retention.
According to the CDC, job stress costs employers more than $300 billion in related costs a year. Gallup said nearly 70 percent of employees are actively disengaged, and according to The Engagement Institute, disengaged employees cost organizations between $450 and $550 billion annually.
Fun positively affect self-motivation and determines what we learn and retain. Learning, growth, and development requires repetition and dedication. If your life is fun, you will be more engaged and curious. Fun spark innovation and creativity.
When you were are a child, you knew what made you authentically happy. Somewhere as life progress, you put away and trade fun for the standard “adult” practices. We forget that we come into the world knowing connection is all that truly matters in the end. It is what will sustain a life filled with wonder and purpose. Instead, we begin to chase tangible things and titles that make us miserable. We invest most of our time into what makes us unhappy.
I realized earlier on that connection is the key to all memorable experiences. I always enjoy myself by including fun, play, and laughter in any situation or circumstance. Just like children, we should always try to breathe life in the day and dance in the rain. Fun is a common theme and a basic need for every human.
Our society tends to dismiss fun for adults. Unless it is planned or contained fun, it is perceived as childish, unproductive, silly, or even a guilty pleasure. The notion is that once we reach adulthood, it’s time to get serious. Between personal and professional responsibilities and duties, there’s no time for fun.
Remembering what fun is all about and making it part of our daily lives is the most critical factor in having a healthy and fulfilling life. We can take a basic mundane task and make it interesting, exciting, and fun. The ability to have fun is critical, not only to be happy but not taking life so seriously.
Fun can be a state of mind, rather than a feeling. It is an absorbing, apparently purposeful attempt to bring light and laughter into every situation. Fun is a reason to do something because it is self-motivating and makes you want to do it again.
Fun is the key that unlocks your people’s full potential. Use fun to counter stress, engage and embrace life, improve physical health, and promote lasting habits that will create a harmonious life. Fun is a secret weapon that creates job satisfaction and company loyalty. Give your employees a workplace, unlike no other.
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